This invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet feeding device for image recording sheets to be used for the image recording apparatus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,209 and 4,440,846 and U.K. Pat. No. GB 2,223,860 to Mead Corporation describe an imaging system. According to this system, a photosensitive layer or medium comprising microcapsules containing a photosensitive composition in the internal phase is image-wise exposed to actinic radiation and subjected to a uniform rupturing force, whereby the microcapsules rupture and image-wise release the internal phase. An image-forming agent such as a substantially colorless chromogenic material is typically associated with the microcapsules such that when the microcapsules rupture the chromogenic material is able to image-wise react with, a developer material and produce a color image. The photosensitive layer and developer may be both formed on a single sheet (image recording sheet) a disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,846, or may be formed on separate sheets (imaging sheet and image receiving sheet) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,209. As the image recording sheet and the image receiving sheet both receive images from the photosensitive layer, and for ease of description, the generic term "image receiving sheet" is used hereinafter to refer to both types of sheets. Since this printing system can produce pixels on the same size as the size of a microcapsule, that is in the order of .mu.m, a color image is printed with extremely high resolution.
However, there have been such problems that, since the developer is coated on the surface of the image-receiving sheet, the image-receiving sheet becomes scratched by a sheet feeding roller when it is taken out from a sheet tray causing peeling off of the developer material, which not only deteriorates the picture image quality, but also causes simultaneous feeding of multiple image-receiving sheets (hereafter referred to as duplicate supply) because the sheets are difficult to slide due to the large friction between sheets.